


A Weird Hobby

by TwoCrows



Series: After the Storm [7]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Alternate Canon, Birthday Presents, Conflict of Beliefs, Gen, Hobbies, Yuri being both twisted and pitiful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:34:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27530848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwoCrows/pseuds/TwoCrows
Summary: Although Yuri had changed a lot since his time at academia, he still remained a creepy mystery. It definitely wasn’t Sora’s job to fix his cracked mind. But then again, this time they might need each other’s help.
Relationships: Sakaki Yuya & Yuri, Shiunin Sora & Yuri
Series: After the Storm [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1243310
Kudos: 6





	A Weird Hobby

A pair of yellow eyes stared back at Sora from the other side of the glass. For a long while they held his gaze without blinking, until his eyes started to burn so hard he had to look away for a moment. Bored, the cat let out a yawn and curled up again, placing its fat head on its forepaws. Apparently he wasn’t interesting enough. 

Sora flicked his lollipop to the other side of his mouth and turned away from the shop window. He wouldn’t have found anything there anyway. 

The mall was teeming with people, all hurrying over, most of the loaded with bags. Some were talking into their phones, others just chatting with each other. The noise was deafening. Although, it was no unpleasant sound. 

When he had first come to Standard, he had had a hard time to get used to the liveliness of this city. The people were so… abnormally normal. All were so focused on themselves and their petty little lives. 

Back then he had thought of it as a weakness. But when he started to question academia and the Professor he had sworn allegiance to, he had come to wonder if that was the way he should’ve lived as well. Going out with friends, being frisky… 

Instead he had spent his time training for the day he’d march into war and destroy the very same peaceful life all those people here were living. Fortunately it hadn’t come to that. 

He wondered if Fusion, his home, would be like this one day. Would they manage to get over their past, or would the superior thinking that Akaba Leo had burned into their heads linger forever? Asuka was convinced they were already halfway there. That with just a few years of learning, they could return to being a peaceful people. Although he admired her, Sora was unable to agree to that view. She was just too naïve in some aspects. 

The darkness that was resting deep within their souls couldn’t be banished by simply starting a new chapter and trying to make up for the suffering they caused. Sooner or later it would resurface and cause more harm. Maybe even a lifetime wasn’t enough to make it disappear. 

Vigorously Sora shook his head. This wasn’t the time to get lost in dire thoughts. After all he had come to Standard for a reason. 

Thoughtfully he pushed his lolly to the other side of his mouth. The shop windows were so full of interesting things, but none of them really fit. Clothes? No. Too personal. A household item? Too boring. A video game? Maybe, but it was hard to tell which one. A CD? No. Too risky. 

If only he knew a little more about Yuya’s interests. It was almost hilarious. He had spent over a month frequenting his house, but he had no idea what Yuya was doing when he wasn’t duelling. That was, if Yuya even had any interests apart from duelling. 

He wished he’d have an idea in the likes of those Rollerboots that Xyz kid gave him. Something to assist his Action Duels would be brilliant, but it couldn’t be just a lame imitation. Just what…? 

He stopped in front of a shop window, more to give himself time to think than to actually pick anything, when suddenly he froze up. In the reflection beyond the glass he saw someone who so obviously didn’t fit in. They were wearing a long, sleeved sweatshirt, a baseball cap which was pulled down low over their face and a pair of dark sunglasses. They rigidly stared forward and their walk was somewhat tense. 

Sora couldn’t help but grin at how their dilettante attempt to look unsuspicious ended up achieving the exact opposite. He turned around and followed the figure, until they stopped next to the entrance of a shop, trying to look as though they were attentively considering the things on the other side. 

“He’s not going to like those”, he said and began to lick his lollipop. 

The boy started as hard as if he had just seen a ghost. “Y-You!” they hissed, looking down at Sora. “Wh-What are you talking about?” 

“You’re here to buy something for Yuya’s birthday”, he said. 

“What?! N-No, I’m not! I’m just here for… personal reasons.” 

Sora rolled his eyes. “You do know that your attempt to look unobtrusive makes everything worse, don’t you?” 

The boy started again and glanced around, causing even more passers-by to stare at him. With a sigh he dropped his shoulders and pulled the sunglasses from his nose. “What are you doing here anyway, Shiunin?” he asked annoyed. 

“The same as you”, Sora replied casually. 

“I told you it’s not like…” His voice caught and then his face twitched angrily. 

Sora smiled as he considered the lollipop in his hand, twisting it between his fingers. “I’d never thought I’d get to see you this embarrassed, Yuri.” 

“I’m… I’m not embarrassed”, the boy insisted and Sora once again rolled his eyes. 

With a sigh he turned around. “Come. And take off that cap. Unless of course you like being stared at by everyone.” 

After a moment of confusion, Yuri took off the cap and followed him. 

They sat down on the edge of a fountain that had been turned off already. Sora snorted when he glanced down at the coins that were resting on its ground. People sure had strange customs, he thought as he took out the stick of his used up lollipop and flicked it into the nearest dustbin. 

“So, I heard you’re a leading member of the new academia staff now. My congratulations.” Yuri’s voice was dripping with sarcasm. 

“You could come back too. You’d be welcome”, Sora replied. “Here.” 

He offered Yuri a new lolly. The boy opened his mouth to refuse, but Sora tapped it against his chest and after a moment he took it. 

“Go back to that stupid place?” he muttered scornfully. “No, thank you.” 

“Is Yuya the reason for that?” he asked, plopping a second lollipop into his mouth. 

To his surprise Yuri’s gaze was sincere and without a hint of sarcasm or embarrassment. “No, he’s not”, he said. “I simply don’t have a place there anymore. My place is here now.” 

Sora lowered his head. “I see.” Then a teasing smirk flashed over his lips. “And here you are now, walking through a shopping mall on this wonderful afternoon…” 

Yuri gave him an annoyed glance, before he let out a resigning sigh. “Okay, you were right. I was looking for a present for Yuya’s birthday.” 

Sora’s smile grew wide. “And what about your silly disguise? Honestly, did you really think you’d look less suspicious with it?” 

Yuri cast down his eyes. “I… I just didn’t want Yuya to find out, okay?” 

Probably he was just too embarrassed to admit he was caring enough about anyone to buy a birthday present for them, Sora guessed. But he’d never own up to that. 

“So… Have you found anything already?” Yuri asked shyly. 

“Uh-huh.” 

“Really?! What is it?” Yuri’s pleading look at once turned composed again. “I mean… It’s not like I’d need your help or…” 

Sora smiled again. “It was a lie”, he said. “I haven’t got anything yet.” 

For the blink of an eye confusion crept over Yuri’s face, but it was immediately followed by annoyance. He gazed down at the lolly in his hand again. Slowly he tore away the plastic foil and plucked it into his mouth. Almost instantly his face turned into a mask of disgust and he almost spat it out. 

“You like something like this?” he asked disbelievingly. 

“Yup”, Sora confirmed. 

Yuri looked down at the lolly and his mouth twitched again. “Seriously, is it made of anything else but sugar?” 

“Probably not”, Sora replied with a grin. “If you had grown up with it, you’d love it too.” 

“Love?” Yuri muttered after a moment. 

“Yes. Candy’s my lifeblood. Without it my body would stop working.” 

“Really?” Yuri asked bewildered. 

Sora laughed. “No. I’m only kidding you.” Then he grew serious again. “Don’t you have something you love as well?” 

Yuri puckered his brows. 

“I mean something you like to do in your free time. A hobby or something like that?” 

The boy cast down his gaze. There was an uncomfortable, embarrassed look in his eyes that aroused Sora’s interest. 

“Yes, I… have a hobby”, he muttered quietly. 

“Really? What is it?” 

Yuri gave him an annoyed look. “I don’t talk about it, okay?” 

Sora tilted his head. “Now I’m even more curious. How about you show me?” 

Yuri froze and his look turned surprised. Then, after a moment, a distant smile began to spread on his lips, growing into an eerie grin. “You really want to see my torture chamber?” he asked in a low, not-quite-sane voice. 

Once more Sora rolled his eyes. “You know, people won’t stop thinking you’re creepy if you act like that.” 

  


* * *

  


More than once Yuri wondered just what the hell he was doing here as he led Shiunin to his room. Aside from Serena no one had seen his hobby yet. And she only had because she had barged in without knocking. 

He still remembered her reaction, the strange mixture of confusion and amazement. It had made him contemplate whether he should show Yuya as well, but then again… Serena was special. She didn’t seem to even notice his weirdness. Probably it was a vestige of growing up at academia. Yuya or Yuzu on the other hand were normal. At least more normal than he was. He didn’t want them to see this. So what the hell was he thinking, showing it to that Shiunin kid he hardly knew? 

Anyway, he couldn’t back out anymore, right? As he reached for the handle, he noticed his pulse was getting faster. Oh no. He wasn’t getting flustered now, was he? 

“Are you really sure you want to see it?” he muttered, fingers hovering above the handle. 

“This is the third time you ask”, the boy replied annoyed. 

“I know. I just wanted…” 

“Just go ahead. Or could it be you’re scared?” 

Yuri noticed the sly tone in his voice. He knew Shiunin was trying to provoke him, but that didn’t make much of a difference. “Now why would I be scared?” he said with a snort, straightened up and opened the door. 

Shiunin whistled astounded. “That’s not quite what I expected from a torture chamber”, he said, nodding towards the two flowers on the window sill. 

One was a lovely peony which was in full blossom. The other one was an even more marvellous wisteria. However, they were not what Yuri had wanted to show him. 

He closed the door and walked over to the small shelf beside his bed. There, hidden behind a couple of magazines stood another small pot. Carefully Yuri carried it over to his desk. 

“Is that…” Shiunin began as he examined the long tentacle-like glands that crested the low, sprawled-out leaves, their tips shimmering like a thousand little diamonds. 

“A sundew, yes.” Yuri replied with a soft smirk. He opened his wardrobe and pulled out a bottling jar containing three flies, buzzing against the glass in an attempt to escape. Two more were lying dead at its bottom. 

The boy’s eyes grew wider for a beat when he realised. “Wait, you’re not…” 

Yuri placed the jar next to the pot and opened the lid. Two of the flies escaped immediately, the third one followed after a few seconds. The three flies whizzed through the room, at first flying towards the window, again smacking against the glass. It never failed to exhilarate him watching them throw their tiny bodies against the invisible wall of their inescapable prison. 

It took half a minute before the first of them changed its direction, aimlessly crossing the room a few times before it headed for the little pot. The moment it touched the glands however, its more or less graceful flight turned into helpless fidgeting. And with that its fate was sealed. During the next hours more and more glands were going to bend towards it, restraining it with the sticky secretion on their tips. Then they would pull it towards the centre of the leaf which would curl to envelop the little insect even more. 

As always it was a process of most fascinating elegance, a very slow, painful death which couldn’t be averted. The unfortunate fly struggled hard to escape, but it was almost trapped entirely in the slimy mucilage already. It could hardly do anything but wait helplessly until the digestion would begin. 

Yuri cast Shiunin a curious glance. The boy stared at the plant and the wiggling fly in it. He didn’t look very happy, but he didn’t look disgusted either. Yuri wondered if all of them were like this, so used to cruelty that something like this hardly made any difference. Just what a screwed-up world this was… 

“Why?” the boy muttered. There was no accusation in his voice, just a plain demand. 

“Why?” Yuri echoed and a faint smirk parted his lips. “Why do you think there is a reason? Couldn’t it be I simply enjoy watching other creatures’ misery?”

Shiunin gave him an examining look. “Back then… maybe”, he said after a few seconds. “But you’re not the same person you were.” 

Yuri cast down his eyes and his smile turned wistful. “You… think I have changed?” he asked tentatively. An amused snort escaped his nostrils. “I dare to disagree.” 

He paused for a moment and let his gaze flick back to the caught fly in the plant, wandering over to the other two which still buzzed somewhere near the window. 

“They are just like humans, aren’t they?” he whispered. 

“The flies?” 

Yuri nodded. “They desperately try to fly away, try to break free from their prison, unable to see there is no escape. But in the end all they can do is give into temptation and plunge into their demise. Just like we do.” 

For a long while none of them said a word, just listening to the flies smacking against the window. 

“Do you think that about us as well?” Shiunin asked eventually. 

“Yes, I do.” 

The boy’s gaze turned angry. “Is that the reason you don’t want to come back?! Because you think what Asuka, Edo and I are doing is useless?!” 

Yuri tilted his head and gave Shiunin a thoughtful glance. His lips quirked for a moment before a sinister feeling stirred in his chest. “Yes, it’s one reason. But aside from that… I don’t want to crawl in front of Tenjouin and beg for forgiveness.” He paused for a second. Then he shook his head. “No. I don’t even want her forgiveness. It’s alright if she hates me.” 

“Seems to me like you don’t know Asuka”, Shiunin replied, hands folded behind his head. “She doesn’t hate you.” 

Yuri lowered his head. “Then she’s just a fool as well. I’ve done something terrible to her. Something that makes me deserve her hatred.” 

“You’re the fool here.” 

Yuri blinked. Shiunin was looking at him with a strange mixture of sympathy and amusement. It was a look he didn’t like. 

“I don’t want your pity!” he snapped. 

“I’m not pitying you”, Shiunin said plainly. “I just wonder when you are going to understand you’re not the scapegoat you pretend to be. Asuka and I don’t view you as one and I’m sure it’s the same with Yuya and the others.” 

“Oh, what do you know of this?” 

“More than enough. Believe me. I’ve had my share of regret as well.” 

Yuri held the boy’s defiant gaze for a few seconds. Then he turned away. 

Crap! What was this? Why did he feel like he was losing? 

“I’m not going back”, he whispered through clenched teeth. 

Shiunin took a deep breath… and sighed. “Fine. I already see this is a battle I can’t win.” He cracked a resigning smile. 

Yuri dared to relax and began to answer it tentatively. 

“After all you’re clinging to Yuya far too much.” 

Yuri felt his cheeks growing hot. “Careful”, he muttered grimly, glancing over to his sundew. “You don’t want to end up like some other insect that didn’t watch out, do you?” 

Shiunin let out a ringing laugh. “Okay, okay. I get it. But… You’ll still need to get a present for him, right?” 

Embarrassed, Yuri ducked his head. “Y-Yeah.” 

The boy’s knowing smirk grew wide. “Alright”, he said and patted Yuri’s shoulder. “Then how about we think together? I’m sure we’ll be able to find something.” 

Before he was able to protest, Shiunin had gently pushed him towards his bed. Somehow that boy’s blithe, fearless attitude was starting to get very annoying. But on the other hand, he couldn’t deny that he didn’t have any good idea what to give Yuya, as hard as it was to even admit that to himself. Maybe, just this once, he’d accept the help of this common little fly. 


End file.
